Hamden plans Memorial Day parade, cemetery program on Monday
Hamden’s Memorial Day parade will roll from Main Street at 11:30 a.m. and end in Hamden Cemetery with Judge Jeffrey Griffith speaking.
Hamden will again close Memorial Day with a village parade and cemetery program led by the Hamden Volunteer Fire Department, a tradition that keeps drawing families, veterans and students into the same procession. The parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of Main Street and State Route 93, then travel southbound before entering Hamden Cemetery for a memorial program.
Residents who want to take part in the parade were told to be in the lineup area by 11 a.m. The event is open to everyone, and organizers said anyone needing more information can call 740-418-7967. The fire department, with Chief Jim Beckner listed at 100 Wilkesville St. in Hamden, continues to serve as the local sponsor for the observance.
The cemetery program will feature Vinton County Court Judge Jeffrey Griffith as guest speaker and Stagerlee Beabout as officiating minister. The Vinton County High School Band will take part in both the parade and the cemetery program, giving the observance a school and youth presence alongside the veterans and community members who gather each year.
Hamden’s observance remains part of a wider county Memorial Day schedule, with Vinton County’s official program set earlier that morning at 9:20 a.m. at the Vinton County Courthouse in McArthur. From there, participants will march to Elk Cemetery, where Scouting groups will lower the flag, Tom Neal will give opening remarks and former Vinton County Judge and U.S. Army Captain James P. Salyer will deliver the keynote address.
At the county ceremony, Vinton County Probate-Juvenile Judge Bob Grillo will read the county’s war dead, and wreath-laying will be carried out by Gold Star Mothers, McArthur VFW Post 5299 and American Legion Post 303. The same high school band will move between the McArthur and Hamden observances, tying the two sites together in one countywide day of remembrance.
Hamden’s program has been held for many years and has become one of the village’s most familiar public traditions. For families who cannot make the courthouse ceremony in McArthur, the Hamden parade and cemetery service offer a nearby way to mark the holiday, with the route, lineup time and public invitation all set for the village’s annual tribute.
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